Heel Wedge Shoe Having Cushion Within Heel Wedge

ABSTRACT

A wedge shoe includes a sole and an upper secured to the sole. The sole has a wedge member, a wedge cushion, and an inner sole member. The wedge member has an open top cavity. The wedge cushion is in the cavity of the wedge member. The inner sole member has a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion. The central portion has a central portion durometer hardness and the peripheral portion has a peripheral portion durometer hardness greater than the central portion durometer hardness. The upper is lasted to the peripheral portion of the inner sole member. The central portion of the inner sole member overlies the wedge cushion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to heel wedge shoes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention is a wedge shoe comprising a sole and anupper secured to the sole. The sole extends longitudinally from a soleheel end to a sole toe end and extends transversely from a sole lateraledge to a sole medial edge. The sole includes a heel region, a midfootregion, a ball region and a toe region. The heel region extendslongitudinally from the sole heel end to the midfoot region. The midfootregion extends longitudinally from the heel region to the ball region.The ball region extends longitudinally from the midfoot region to thetoe region. The toe region extends longitudinally from the ball regionto the sole toe end. The sole has a wedge member, a wedge cushion, andan inner sole member. The wedge member has a top surface and a bottomsurface. The wedge member extends forward from the sole heel end to atleast adjacent the ball region. The wedge member tapers in thicknessgenerally from the heel end to at least adjacent the ball region suchthat the top surface of the wedge member slopes downward generally fromthe heel end to at least adjacent the ball region when a user is wearingthe wedge shoe and standing on a horizontal surface. The wedge memberhas an open top cavity. The cavity being in at least the heel region andthe midfoot region. The cavity extends downward from the top surface ofthe wedge member toward the bottom surface of the wedge member andextends forward to at least adjacent the ball region. The wedge cushionis in the cavity of the wedge member. The wedge cushion is at least inthe heel region and the midfoot region. The inner sole member has acentral portion and a peripheral portion surrounding the centralportion. The central portion has a central portion durometer hardnessand the peripheral portion has a peripheral portion durometer hardness.The peripheral portion durometer hardness is greater than the centralportion durometer hardness. The upper is lasted to the peripheralportion of the inner sole member. The central portion of the inner solemember overlies the wedge cushion. The wedge shoe is configured suchthat the wedge cushion and central portion of the inner sole memberdeform sufficiently so that at least a region of the central portion ofthe inner sole member resiliently deflects downward into the wedgecavity when the user is wearing the wedge shoe and standing on ahorizontal surface and applying a downward force on the central regionof the inner sole member of forty pounds.

Another aspect of the invention is a wedge shoe comprising a sole and anupper secured to the sole. The sole extends longitudinally from a soleheel end to a sole toe end and extends transversely from a sole lateraledge to a sole medial edge. The sole includes a heel region, a midfootregion, a ball region and a toe region. The heel region extendslongitudinally from the sole heel end to the midfoot region. The midfootregion extends longitudinally from the heel region to the ball region.The ball region extends longitudinally from the midfoot region to thetoe region. The toe region extends longitudinally from the ball regionto the sole toe end. The sole has a wedge member, a wedge cushion, andan inner sole member. The wedge member has a top surface and a bottomsurface. The wedge member extends forward from the sole heel end to atleast adjacent the ball region. The wedge member tapers in thicknessgenerally from the heel end to at least adjacent the ball region suchthat the top surface of the wedge member slopes downward generally fromthe heel end to at least adjacent the ball region when a user is wearingthe wedge shoe and standing on a horizontal surface. The wedge memberhas an open top cavity. The cavity being in at least the heel region andthe midfoot region. The cavity extends downward from the top surface ofthe wedge member toward the bottom surface of the wedge member andextends forward to at least adjacent the ball region. The wedge cushionis in the cavity of the wedge member. The wedge cushion is at least inthe heel region and the midfoot region. The inner sole member has acentral portion and a peripheral portion surrounding the centralportion. The central portion has a central portion durometer hardnessand the peripheral portion has a peripheral portion durometer hardness.The peripheral portion durometer hardness is greater than the centralportion durometer hardness. The upper is lasted to the peripheralportion of the inner sole member. The central portion of the inner solemember overlies the wedge cushion. The central portion of the inner solemember is in contact with the wedge cushion.

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as theoperation of the invention, are described in detail below with referenceto the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of a wedge shoe in accordancewith the present invention, the wedge shoe having an upper and a sole.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the wedge shoe shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the wedge shoe shown in FIGS. 1 and2 taken along the plane of line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the wedge shoe shown in FIGS. 1 and2 taken long the plane of line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an inner sole member of the wedge shoe shown inFIG. 1.

Reference numerals in the written specification and in the drawingfigures indicate corresponding items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of a wedge shoe in accordance with the present inventionis indicated by reference numeral 20 in FIGS. 1-4. The wedge shoecomprises a sole 22, and an upper 24 secured to the sole. The sole 22extends longitudinally from a sole heel end 22 a to a sole toe end 22 b(see FIGS. 1 and 3) and extends transversely from a sole lateral edge 22c to a sole medial edge 22 d (see FIG. 4). The sole 22 includes a heelregion 30, a midfoot region 32, a ball region 34 and a toe region 36.The heel region 30 extends longitudinally from the sole heel end 22 a tothe midfoot region 32. The midfoot region 32 extends longitudinally fromthe heel region 30 to the ball region 34. The ball region 34 extendslongitudinally from the midfoot region 32 to the toe region 36. The toeregion 36 extends longitudinally from the ball region 34 to the sole toeend 22 b. The sole 22 has a wedge member 40, a wedge cushion 42, aninner sole member 44, and an outsole 46.

The wedge member 40 may be of BPU (bio-polyol polyurethane) foam or ofsome conventional generally rigid sole wedge material. The wedge member40 has a top surface 40 a and a bottom surface 40 b. In the embodimentshown, the wedge member 40 extends forward from the sole heel end 22 ato adjacent the ball region 34. It is to be understood, however, thatthe wedge shoe could be a platform wedge (not shown) with the wedgemember extending forward from the sole heel end to the sole toe end. Inthe embodiment shown, the wedge member 40 tapers in thickness generallyfrom the heel end 22 a to adjacent the ball region such that the topsurface of the wedge member slopes downward generally from the heel endto adjacent the ball region when a user is wearing the wedge shoe andstanding on a horizontal surface. If the wedge shoe is a platform wedge(not shown), then the wedge member may taper in thickness generally fromthe heel end to only adjacent the ball region such that the top surfaceof the wedge member slopes downward generally from the heel end toadjacent to ball region, or the wedge member may taper in thicknessforward beyond the ball region. The wedge member 40 has an open topcavity 48. The cavity 48 extends downward from the top surface 40 a ofthe wedge member 40 toward the bottom surface 40 b of the wedge memberand extends forward to at least adjacent the ball region.

The wedge cushion 42 is in the cavity 48 of the wedge member 40. Thewedge cushion 42 is at least in the heel region 30 and the midfootregion 32. The wedge cushion 42 has a top surface 42 a. In theembodiment shown, the cavity 48 is only in the heel region 30 and themidfoot region 32, but if the wedge shoe is instead a platform wedge(not shown) then the cavity could also be in the ball region and the toeregion and the wedge cushion could also be in the portions of the cavityin the ball region and the toe region. In the embodiment shown, thewedge cushion 42 tapers in thickness from the heel region 30 to adjacentthe ball region 34. Preferably, the wedge cushion 42 substantially fillsthe wedge cavity 48. The wedge cushion 42 may be formed into aparticular shape and then inserted into the cavity, or may be poured orinjected into the cavity and allowed to cure to form the cushion. Thewedge cushion 42 may be of EVA or polyurethane.

The outsole 46 may be of any suitable outsole material, such asinjection blown rubber having a durometer hardness of 60-65 Shore A. Theoutsole 46 is secured to the bottom surface 40 b of the wedge member 40.The outsole 46 extends generally from the heel end 22 a of the sole 22to the toe end 22 b of the sole.

The inner sole member 44 has a central portion 50 and a peripheralportion 52 surrounding the central portion. Preferably the inner solemember 44 is a molded dual-density member. The central portion 50 andthe peripheral portion 52 of the inner sole member 44 may both be ofEVA, with the central portion having a central portion durometerhardness and the peripheral portion having a peripheral portiondurometer hardness greater than the central portion durometer hardness.Preferably, the central portion durometer hardness is 30-35 Shore C, andthe peripheral portion durometer hardness is 60-70 Shore C. Preferably,the inner sole member 44 extends from the sole heel end 22 a to the soletoe end 22 b.

The upper 24 may be of any suitable upper material, such as leather,vinyl, a textile material, etc. The upper 24 is lasted to the peripheralportion 52 of the inner sole member 44. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, theupper 24 includes a peripheral edge margin 60. The peripheral edgemargin 60 of the upper is sandwiched between the peripheral portion 52of the inner sole member 44 and the top surface 40 a of the wedge member40 generally in the heel region 30 and the midfoot region 32. Theperipheral edge margin 60 of the upper 24 is sandwiched between theperipheral portion 52 of the inner sole member 44 and the outsole 46generally in the ball region 34 and the toe region 36. The centralportion 50 of the inner sole member 44 overlies the wedge cushion 42.The central portion 50 of the inner sole member 44 is preferably incontact with and bonded to the wedge cushion in both the heel region 30and the midfoot region 32. The wedge shoe 20 is configured such that thewedge cushion 42 and central portion 50 of the inner sole member 44deform sufficiently so that at least a region of the central portion ofthe inner sole member resiliently deflects downward into the wedgecavity 48 when the user is wearing the wedge shoe and standing on ahorizontal surface and applying a downward force on the central regionof the inner sole member of forty pounds. In FIG. 4, the solid lines ofthe central portion 50 of the inner sole member 44 represent anon-deflected position of the central portion, and the dashed lines 50 arepresent a deflected position of the central portion of the inner solemember caused by application of the forty pounds downward force. Thewedge cushion 42 has a wedge cushion durometer hardness. The wedgecushion durometer hardness may be in the range of 25-35 Shore C. Thewedge cushion durometer hardness may be slightly greater than thecentral portion durometer hardness of the central portion 50 of theinner sole member 44, but is preferably slightly less than or equal tothe central portion durometer hardness.

The wedge shoe 20 also includes a footbed 70. The footbed 70 ispreferably in contact with an upper surface of the inner sole member 44generally from the heel end to the toe end. Preferably, the footbed isof a molded latex, having a durometer hardness of 20 Shore C.

The wedge shoe 20 employs the dual-density inner sole member 44 insteadof a conventional lasting board. In other words, the wedge shoe 20 isdevoid of a conventional lasting board. The inner sole member 44 ispreferably devoid of generally non-stretch materials, such as paper, andis preferably only of EVA. The wedge shoe 20 is also preferably devoidof a shank. The components and materials of the wedge shoe 20 make for amore comfortable shoe than conventional wedge shoes without sacrificingaesthetics.

In view of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the inventionhas several advantages over the prior art.

As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methodsherein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of theinvention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoingdescription or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpretedas illustrative rather than limiting. For example, the wedge shoe may beany type of wedge shoe, such as a wedge sandal, a wedge pump, anopen-toe wedge, a platform wedge, etc. Thus, the breadth and scope ofthe present invention should not be limited by any of theabove-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims appended hereto and theirequivalents.

It should also be understood that when introducing elements of thepresent invention in the claims or in the above description of exemplaryembodiments of the invention, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and“having” are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may beadditional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, theterm “portion” should be construed as meaning some or all of the item orelement that it qualifies. Moreover, use of identifiers such as first,second, and third should not be construed in a manner imposing anyrelative position or time sequence between limitations.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wedge shoe comprising: a sole; and an uppersecured to the sole; the sole extending longitudinally from a sole heelend to a sole toe end and extending transversely from a sole lateraledge to a sole medial edge, the sole including a heel region, a midfootregion, a ball region and a toe region, the heel region extendinglongitudinally from the sole heel end to the midfoot region, the midfootregion extending longitudinally from the heel region to the ball region,the ball region extending longitudinally from the midfoot region to thetoe region, and the toe region extending longitudinally from the ballregion to the sole toe end, the sole having a wedge member, a wedgecushion, and an inner sole member; the wedge member having a top surfaceand a bottom surface, the wedge member extending forward from the soleheel end to at least adjacent the ball region, the wedge member taperingin thickness generally from the heel end to at least adjacent the ballregion such that the top surface of the wedge member slopes downwardgenerally from the heel end to at least adjacent the ball region when auser is wearing the wedge shoe and standing on a horizontal surface, thewedge member having an open top cavity, the cavity being in at least theheel region and the midfoot region, the cavity extending downwardly fromthe top surface of the wedge member toward the bottom surface of thewedge member and extending forward to at least adjacent the ball region;the wedge cushion being in the cavity of the wedge member, the wedgecushion being at least in the heel region and the midfoot region; theinner sole member having a central portion and a peripheral portionsurrounding the central portion, the central portion having a centralportion durometer hardness, the peripheral portion having a peripheralportion durometer hardness, the peripheral portion durometer hardnessbeing greater than the central portion durometer hardness, the upperbeing lasted to the peripheral portion of the inner sole member, thecentral portion of the inner sole member overlying the wedge cushion,the wedge shoe being configured such that the wedge cushion and centralportion of the inner sole member deform sufficiently so that at least aregion of the central portion of the inner sole member resilientlydeflects downward into the wedge cavity when the user is wearing thewedge shoe and standing on a horizontal surface and applying a downwardforce on the central region of the inner sole member of forty pounds. 2.A wedge shoe as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wedge cushion has a topsurface in contact with the central portion of the inner sole member. 3.A wedge shoe as set forth in claim 2 wherein the top surface of thewedge cushion is in contact with the central portion of the inner solemember in both the heel region and the midfoot region.
 4. A wedge shoeas set forth in claim 3 wherein the wedge cushion tapers in thicknessfrom the heel region to at least adjacent the ball region.
 5. A wedgeshoe as set forth in claim 1 wherein the wedge cushion has a wedgecushion durometer hardness, the wedge cushion durometer hardness beingnot greater than the central portion durometer hardness.
 6. A wedge shoeas set forth in claim 1 further comprising an outsole, the outsole beingsecured to the bottom surface of the wedge member.
 7. A wedge shoe asset forth in claim 6 wherein the outsole extends generally from the heelend of the sole to the toe end of the sole.
 8. A wedge shoe as set forthin claim 1 wherein the wedge cushion substantially fills the wedgecavity.
 9. A wedge shoe as set forth in claim 1 wherein the upperincludes a peripheral edge margin, the peripheral edger margin of theupper being sandwiched between the peripheral portion of the inner solemember and an top surface of the wedge member.
 10. A wedge shoe as setforth in claim 1 wherein the wedge member extends forward from the soleheel end to only a portion of the midfoot region adjacent the ballregion.
 11. A wedge shoe comprising: a sole; and an upper secured to thesole; the sole extending longitudinally from a sole heel end to a soletoe end and extending transversely from a sole lateral edge to a solemedial edge, the sole including a heel region, a midfoot region, a ballregion and a toe region, the heel region extending longitudinally fromthe sole heel end to the midfoot region, the midfoot region extendinglongitudinally from the heel region to the ball region, the ball regionextending longitudinally from the midfoot region to the toe region, andthe toe region extending longitudinally from the ball region to the soletoe end, the sole having a wedge member, a wedge cushion, and an innersole member; the wedge member having a top surface and a bottom surface,the wedge member extending forward from the sole heel end to at leastadjacent the ball region, the wedge member tapering in thicknessgenerally from the heel end to at least adjacent the ball region suchthat the top surface of the wedge member slopes downward generally fromthe heel end to at least adjacent the ball region when a user is wearingthe wedge shoe and standing on a horizontal surface, the wedge memberhaving an open top cavity, the cavity being in at least the heel regionand the midfoot region, the cavity extending downwardly from the topsurface of the wedge member toward the bottom surface of the wedgemember and extending forward to at least adjacent the ball region; thewedge cushion being in the cavity of the wedge member, the wedge cushionbeing at least in the heel region and the midfoot region; the inner solemember having a central portion and a peripheral portion surrounding thecentral portion, the central portion having a central portion durometerhardness, the peripheral portion having a peripheral portion durometerhardness, the peripheral portion durometer hardness being greater thanthe central portion durometer hardness, the upper being lasted to theperipheral portion of the inner sole member, the central portion of theinner sole member overlying the wedge cushion, the central portion ofthe inner sole member being in contact with the wedge cushion.
 12. Awedge shoe as set forth in claim 11 wherein the top surface of the wedgecushion is in contact with the central portion of the inner sole memberin both the heel region and the midfoot region.
 13. A wedge shoe as setforth in claim 12 wherein the wedge cushion tapers in thickness from theheel region to at least adjacent the ball region.
 14. A wedge shoe asset forth in claim 11 wherein the wedge cushion has a wedge cushiondurometer hardness, the wedge cushion durometer hardness being notgreater than the central portion durometer hardness.
 15. A wedge shoe asset forth in claim 14 further comprising an outsole, the outsole beingsecured to the bottom surface of the wedge member.
 16. A wedge shoe asset forth in claim 11 wherein the wedge cushion has a wedge cushiondurometer hardness, the wedge cushion durometer hardness being not morethan slightly greater than the central portion durometer hardness.
 17. Awedge shoe as set forth in claim 11 wherein the upper includes aperipheral edge margin, the peripheral edger margin of the upper beingsandwiched between the peripheral portion of the inner sole member andthe top surface of the wedge member.
 18. A wedge shoe as set forth inclaim 11 wherein the wedge member extends forward from the sole heel endto only a portion of the midfoot region adjacent the ball region.
 19. Awedge shoe as set forth in claim 18 wherein the outsole extendsgenerally from the heel end of the sole to the toe end of the sole. 20.A wedge shoe as set forth in claim 19 wherein the upper includes aperipheral edge margin, the peripheral edge margin of the upper beingsandwiched between the peripheral portion of the inner sole member andthe top surface of the wedge member generally in the heel region, theperipheral edge margin of the upper being sandwiched between theperipheral portion of the inner sole member and the outsole generally inthe ball region.